The special representative of the Gang Suppression Force (FRG) in Haiti, Jack Christofides, announced this Tuesday, July 28, that the mission is now fully engaged in carrying out its mandate, marking a break from the transitional phase that followed the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The special representative of the Gang Suppression Force (FRG) in Haiti, Jack Christofides, announced on Tuesday, July 28, that the mission is now fully engaged in carrying out its mandate, marking a break with the transition phase that followed the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS). Mr. Christofides was speaking publicly in Haiti for the first time at a Security Sector Table organized by the Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research (CARDH).Speaking on the changes brought about by the transition from MMAS to FRG, Mr. Christofides said that the international force has now moved beyond the mission setup phase to focus on operations. “We have air capabilities and will soon have maritime capacity, along with enhanced intelligence-gathering capabilities,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FRG official also pointed out that, unlike MMAS, the new force is authorized to act independently or jointly with Haitian security forces. He noted that its mandate now allows it to make arrests, a privilege that didn\u2019t exist before.According to Jack Christofides, the FRG has entered a new operational phase and is already carrying out interventions targeting the activities of armed gangs. He revealed that operations have been conducted in Tabarre and, more recently, in Delmas, where force members faced armed groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FRG representative emphasized that these operations are carried out in close coordination with the Haitian National Police (PNH), noting that this partnership remains at the heart of the mission\u2019s operational approach and will be strengthened in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The special representative explained that his priority since arriving has been to lay the essential foundations for the functioning of the FRG. He mentioned the establishment of the force\u2019s headquarters, the development of planning, command, and control mechanisms, as well as the implementation of accountability and compliance measures.Jack Christofides also announced that the main legal agreements governing the mission’s deployment have been completed. A recently signed agreement with the Minister of Justice outlines how individuals arrested by the FRG will be handed over to Haitian authorities. A second agreement, reached on Monday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, grants the mission legal status and specific protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Jack Christofides made it clear that this status does not give any immunity to FRG members. “We are committed to respecting international law and Haitian law in the course of our activities,” he assured.Three strategic goals over two years<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The special representative presented the strategy recently submitted to the United Nations Security Council. It\u2019s built around three main goals: reducing gangs\u2019 territorial control, securing critical infrastructure and major public assets, and strengthening the capacities of Haitian institutions so they can fight armed groups on their own. Jack Christofides noted that these goals come with measurable indicators to track progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Mr. Christofides, this timeline doesn\u2019t mean Haiti will have to wait two years to see security restored, but that by the end of this period, Haitian security forces should be able to take over from the FRG after the gangs have been significantly weakened.Jack Christofides reaffirmed that respecting human rights remains an essential part of all FRG operations. He assured that every intervention is carried out within a strict framework of oversight, compliance, and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FRG special representative emphasized that the main challenge now is to maintain this momentum in order to create the conditions for lasting security and stability in Haiti.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The special representative of the Gang Suppression Force (FRG) in Haiti, Jack Christofides, announced this Tuesday, July 28, that the mission is now fully engaged in carrying out its mandate,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"content-type":"","_aifi_custom_prompt":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[233],"tags":[],"coauthors":[57],"class_list":["post-6518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6520,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518\/revisions\/6520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6518"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/times509.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}